


Sinners and Saints

by orphan_account



Series: Pretty Reckless [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Abuse, Credence Barebone Needs a Hug, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 03:22:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15524958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester investigate the Barebone church. They don’t find a ghost. They find a monster much, much worse. Mary-Lou Barebone is perhaps the worst monster they’ve ever faced.Credence Barebone just wants it all to be over.





	Sinners and Saints

**Author's Note:**

> BIG TW:  
> Severe child abuse!

It was supposed to be a simple enough case. Several orphans had gone missing, only to be washed up in the river outside of a church nearby with weird markings all over them. It sure sounded like something Sam and Dean would handle. 

So, they hopped into Baby, and off they went, towards the outskirts of New York City. 

“So, get this,” Sam started. “I can’t find anything to do with ghosts or demons, but there was a story of a little girl in Albania a few years ago who died with those same markings on her. Apparently these men kept her locked in a cage, and when she died, the coroner couldn’t work out what had killed her - exactly like those orphans.” 

“So, what? Some weird hocus-pocus shit? You thinking witches?” 

“It seems like it. According to this website, the woman who runs the church is called Mary-Lou Barebone. She runs a group called the ‘second Salemers’, feeds orphans in return for handing out her fliers. It makes sense that a witch would want to kill off the orphans, maybe discourage her. She’s got three adopted children of her own, Modesty, Chastity, and Credence.”

“Huh.” Dean tapped his fingers on the wheel. “So, we go to this church, find the hex bag or whatever, figure out who the witch is, gank her, and be back in time for dinner.” 

“Theoretically.”

(It never turned out like that. Who were they kidding?)

Booking into a motel was the same old thing. They got a room, put on their suits, and they were off. 

The Barebone church was… Unpleasant. Dark and covered with mold, but surprisingly spacious. The woman, Mary-Lou, is nowhere to be seen, but there is a teenage boy stood by the front of the church. 

“Hey, um, could we talk--” Sam began, but the boy startles and bolts up the stairs. “Uh… Okay?” 

Luckily, it wasn’t long before the woman herself arrives. “Oh, hello. Can I help you gentleman?”

Sam clears his throat and they both pull out their FBI badges. “I’m Agent Stiles, this is Agent Jeffords, we’re looking into the recent deaths around here.”

The woman clutches the hand of the small child beside her a little tighter. “Oh, of course! Come in, come in, have a seat. There. Modesty, go get your brother.” 

The little girl ran off, with one last worried look behind her. 

“Miss Barebone, I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I need you to answer them honestly, okay?”

When she agreed, Sam offered a smile, and went through their usual list of questions - cold spots, flickering lights, etc. When she responded negative, Sam then asked about any strange people nearby or in the church. 

Mary-Lou wrinkled her nose briefly. “Just Credence.” She responded tightly, gesturing.

When they both turned, there was the little girl, Modesty, stood with the teenage boy from earlier, gripping onto his hand tightly. 

“Uh, right. Anyway, that’s all we need. Thanks.” 

They left quickly - neither of them liked the vibe. “So, what? Witches?”

Sam shrugged. “I guess so. We’ll go back tomorrow and look for hex bags. 

Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough for either of them. A check in with Cas, a stop off at a local drive-through, and a good night's sleep, and the boys were ready to face the world. Well, ready to face Mary-Lou Barebone again. 

However, when they knocked, they got no answer, though the door was unlocked. They shared a look and went in.

“You see, children? This is what happens when you sin.” Mary-Lou was saying, and Dean gestured for Sam to hide, pressing himself back against the wall to watch. 

The boy, Credence, wasn’t it, was on his knees, facing away from Mary-Lou, hands flat on the floor in some kind of demented prayer position, and his head was bowed. There was blood on the floor, too much blood. “What do we say, children?”

“Amen.” The children chorused back, and the woman looked satisfied. 

“Off you go, then.” The children got up and quickly escaped, chatting among themselves. The woman sneered down at the boy, and he looked like he was crying. She threw a shirt at him. “Get cleaned up.” She spat, and he managed to nod. 

Once she was gone, Sam and Dean went to him, and he was definitely crying now. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” 

Credence flinched.

“It’s okay. My name is Sam, this is my brother, Dean. It’s Credence, isn’t it?”

When he got a nod, Sam smiled gently and offered a hand. “We can help you, Credence. It’s okay.”

His teary eyes looked up at Sam, and then darkened. “You can’t help me.” He whispered, voice hoarse. “I’ll go get Ma.”

“But, Credence, wait-”

And then he was gone, shuffling, blood pouring down his back from the horrific lashes he’d received. 

The last thing either of them wanted to do was to talk to her, but they had to. “Back again, gentleman?” She asked politely, and Dean visibly grit his teeth. “We just want to have a look around.” 

When she agreed, the boys began to wander, searching for anything that could possibly be a hex bag. Nothing but a few pigeons and rats. This place  _ had  _ to be a health violation or something, right?

Of course not. 

They left, because they couldn’t very well stay there, but Dean was distracted the whole way back to the motel, and Sam knew exactly what he was so upset about. “Dean, I…”   
  
“Yeah, I know. I know, we can’t go about saving everyone, but…”   
  
“Yeah. Yeah, I… Yeah.”

A conversation with barely any words. They both understood. 

It sucked, but they understood. 

And then, at almost 2am, when they’d both bedded down already, they got a call.    
  
“There’s been another murder, at the Barebone church.”

Shit.

 

\--

 

Dean  _ hated  _ early mornings. Especially mornings that started at 1:45 in the goddamn fucking morning. Upon seeing the poor kid sat on the edge of an ambulance, though, all of his irritation melted away. He nudged Sam and nodded towards him, and Sam nodded back and flashed his badge to get into the crime scene. 

“Hey, uh, Credence, right? My name is Dean, my brother and I talked to you yesterday, do you remember?” 

No response. 

“Okay, well, we’re going to get you out of here, keep you safe, okay? Because we think someone really bad wants to hurt you and your family. Did you see anyone?” 

Again, nothing. 

"He’s in shock, sir. He hasn’t said a word since we pulled him out of the rubble.” 

Dean paused. “Rubble?”

“Yeah,” Said the young paramedic. “It was a gas explosion. Or, that’s what they’re saying. I dunno.”

And then Sam was there. “All three of them died, and, get this, they’ve all got the same markings as the orphans found in the river.”

“Alright, so, if whoever it was wanted to kill all of them, why not him too?” Dean gestured to Credence, a little ways away, still sat staring vacantly at the floor. “It doesn’t make sense, Sam.”

“I know, it doesn’t. Why kill just the three of them? Maybe it’s a vengeful spirit that only kills women?”

“Yeah, but the orphans found in the river were all male.” Dean pointed out, scratching his chin. “I think we need to question this kid.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me. Come on, let’s try to get something out of him.” 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comment if you liked


End file.
